All-women police station starts functioning in Anantnag, Kashmir

An all-women police station started functioning in Anantnag district of Kashmir today with a 24-hour helpline number. On April 11, Jammu and Kashmir cabinet had accorded sanction to the creation of four women police stations, one each in Anantnag and Baramulla districts in the valley and Rajouri and Udhampur districts in Jammu region.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Kashmir range, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, after inaugurating the police station said,

Over the years there has been an increasing trend in crimes against women like domestic violence, atrocities, eve teasing, stalking, matrimonial problems, acid attacks and there was an urgent need of creation of police stations exclusively manned by women so that women feel free to contact for any assistance

He said the police station will cater to all the five police districts of South Kashmir range – Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama and Awantipora and the women need to come forward fearlessly to lodge their complaints with regard to violence against them

The helpline number (9596777657) can be contacted through phone or SMS or WhatsApp and will be available round the clock, the officer said. Presently, two all-women police stations are functional in the twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu.

The Cabinet also had sanctioned creation of 208 posts for these four Women Police Stations – 52 posts for each Women Police Station. The 208 posts include four posts of Inspector, four posts of Sub-Inspector, 8 posts of Assistant Sub-Inspector, 24 posts of Head Constable, 136 posts of Constable and 32 posts of Follower.

The Jammu and Kashmir government had recently sanctioned the creation of four women police stations, one each in district Anantnag, Baramulla, Rajouri and Udhampur. The creation of these Women Police Stations shall enable women to report offenses and bring visibility of women at the level of public interface especially in situations where aggrieved women intend to seek redress in an empathetic environment with an institutional support.